Posted on 12/21/2005 10:35:09 AM PST by sionnsar
A couple of weeks ago I read Chapter 8 of Dennis Maynard's book, "Those Episkopols" which deals with the subject of Fundamentalism in the Episcopal Church. It is timely and well done. His website is: http://www.episkopols.com.
Maynard reminds us that we are very much a Bible-centered Church, but that we are not literalists or fundamentalists. We never have been, for if we were women would still be wearing hats, and be unable to speak in church, serve on vestries, and certainly they could not be ordained. Remarriage after divorce would be considered adultery, and Christians could not charge other Christians interest on loans. And, so on. The sum of it all is that we do not proof text the Bible, nor do we take every word or direction literally for our time.
Reading this chapter reminded me of my seminary days when our New Testament professor told us that we believe the Bible to be the Word of God, but not the words of God and that the scripture is inspired by God, not dictated by God. It is also important for us to remember that the Church gave us the Bible. That is, it was the Church in counsel in the fourth century that determined which writings and books would be included as scripture. Also, it was the Church of England that gave us the Bible in English in the seventeenth century. Since the Bible is the Church's Book the Church not only has the right, but the responsibility to study and interpret it in every age, and for every age. We need to remember that our Christian faith is not in a book, but in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Bible points to Jesus whom St. John identifies as the Word of God: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:14). One of the most important things Jesus said to the disciples who would become the first Fathers of the Church was this: "I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things to come." (John 16:12-13)
As important the authority of Scripture is, the authority of the Holy Spirit of God, who is still working his purpose out for the Church and the World, trumps it every time!
It is therefore unfortunate and sad that the Episcopal Church is tearing itself apart over texts related to homosexuality at a time when we are discovering that homosexuality, with some exceptions, is unlikely a choice (who would choose to be homosexual), rather a given. And, if that is true we need to listen to the WORD more than the words of scripture. Jesus prayed that we all be ONE, not "right." The question is how does the contemporary Church determine the correct way forward on current issues?
Finally, we need to beware of those {clergy or lay} who would use the Bible to bring division to the Body of Christ...or to suggest in any way that they have cornered the God market. We do not need to split apart; rather we need to stand together with our differences humbly before God who calls us to be one and to love one another.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. So God contradicts himself?
Yes. There's the root cause of your problem, especially the last three words. It was only a matter of time before you ordained sodomites. Heaven only knows what's next.
Yep, you are right.
O Holy Spirit,
Open our eyes if we try to use you
as an excuse to do what we want,
instead of doing the will of the Father.
Instead, O Spirit,
let the fire of your love
ignite in us a hunger for the truth,
a hunger to live in the light of Jesus,
and to walk in his steps,
this day, and always,
Amen.
Here is the response of this fundamentalist former Episcopalian. It's all been tried before. As the Apostle Peter wrote:
"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."
2 Peter 1:21 - 2:3
Read 2 Peter. It is very revealing about the falsehoods being spread in the Episcopal Church. Also the Letter of Jude:
"For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
"Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire."
How does one discern the "leading of the Holy Spirit" - what objective measure for the validity of the "leading?"
I'm not sure how you discern for certain what is truth.
But I am almost positive that if you are being led to behavior that is in direct contradiction to the consistent, repeatedly stated, and never contradicted teachings of Holy Scripture that it is the "other" spirit, and not the Holy Spirit who is doing the leading. Both the Old and New Testaments are very clear that the only acceptable sexual behavior is within the bounds of a marriage between a man and a woman. Sexual behavior outside these bounds is repeatedly condemned in both the Old and the New Testaments. It does not make sense that a timeless all-knowing God would now suddenly contradict himself.
I am a pretty poor excuse for a Christian myself. But to try to swallow the doublespeak teachings of the Epsicopagans (my old Church) is enough to unchurch anybody. If the Bible does not say and mean what it clearly says, then the whole religion has no meaning. It is just a collapsing house of cards.
Exactly - Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life. God's Word is Truth. To claim any other source of authority is to claim no authority at all. The "leading" must be consistent with God's revealed Word, and can NEVER contradict it.
It's fascinating to me, that while 30+ years ago the theologically liberal used Reason and skepticism to justify their unbelief ("different interpretations...") today, after the EVANGELICAL charismatic movement of the '70s and '80s (especially powerful in the Episcopalean church) they are trying to claim the "leading of the Holy Spirit" for the results of their apostasy.
We should not forget, that when the Pharisees accused Jesus of performing wonderful, God-glorifying miracles by the power of the devil, instead of the Holy Spirit, He told His disciples that "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" was the one sin that cannot be forgiven.
I daresay, what the confused, sin-darkened-mind liberals try to justify their gross "blessing" of abominations by saying its the Holy Spirit leading....they are perilously close to that same sort of blasphemy.
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